"1960 Belgian Congo general election General elections were held in the Belgian Congo on 22 May 1960, in order to create a government to rule the country following independence, scheduled for 30 June. The 137-seat Chamber of Deputies was elected by men over the age of 21. The seats were filled by district-based lists, although only two parties, the Mouvement National Congolais-Lumumba (MNC-L) and the Parti National du Progrès, submitted lists in more than one district. The MNC-L, led by Patrice Lumumba, won the most seats and Lumumba was confirmed as Prime Minister by Parliament after forming a coalition that"
"Belgian Congo The Belgian Congo (, ; ) was a Belgian colony in Central Africa from 1908 until independence in 1960. The former colony adopted its present-day name, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), in 1964. Colonial rule in the Congo began in the late 19th century. King Leopold II of Belgium attempted to persuade the Belgian government to support colonial expansion around the then-largely unexplored Congo Basin. Their ambivalence resulted in Leopold's establishing a colony himself. With support from a number of Western countries, Leopold achieved international recognition for a personal colony, the Congo Free State, in 1885."
"the Belgian Congo was replaced by the short lived First Republic of Congo, led by the democratically elected and charismatic Congolese statesman Patrice Lumumba, a former political prisoner. Belgian forces withdrew, leaving the military force, the Force Publique, under Congo's control. Order broke down as mutinying soldiers attacked whites who remained in the country. Belgians forces were briefly sent in to evacuate Belgian nationals and army officers. In July 1960, the southern state of Katanga Province declared its independence, forming the State of Katanga. Katanga's bid for sovereignty was supported by Belgian mining companies and soldiers, who had considerable assets"
"revolution to them. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (D.R.C.), previously known as Belgian Congo, achieved independence from Belgium in 1960, after which Western leaders were determined to keep the country, and its enormous quantities of mineral wealth, within the West's sphere of influence. However, in May 1960, the elected government. led by Patrice Lumumba, envisioned an economic model that would benefit the citizens of the Congo as opposed to supporting western economic interests. As such western powers sought to replace Lumumba with a more pro- western leader. On July 5, five days after independence, Congolese soldiers mutinied after being"
"Belgian Congo achieved independence on 30 June 1960 under the name ""République du Congo"" (""Republic of Congo"" or ""Republic of the Congo"" in English). As the neighboring French colony of Middle Congo (Moyen Congo) also chose the name ""Republic of Congo"" upon achieving its independence, the two countries were more commonly known as ""Congo-Léopoldville"" and ""Congo-Brazzaville"", after their capital cities. Shortly after independence the Force Publique mutinied, and on July 11 the province of Katanga (led by Moïse Tshombe) and South Kasai engaged in secessionist struggles against the new leadership. Most of the 100,000 Europeans who had remained behind after"
"within the Republic of the Congo following independence from Belgium on 30 June 1960 as well as within the context of other Cold War interventions in Africa by the West and the Soviet Union. The rebellion can be immediately traced back to the assassination of the first Prime Minister of the Congo, Patrice Lumumba, in January 1961. Political infighting and intrigue followed, resulting in the ascendancy of Joseph Kasavubu and Joseph-Désiré Mobutu in Kinshasa at the expense of politicians who had supported Lumumba such as Antoine Gizenga, Christophe Gbenye and Gaston Soumialot. In 1961, this change in power led to"
"freedoms. In the late 1950s an independence movement suddenly emerged, led by figures such as Patrice Lumumba and Joseph Kasa-Vubu. Fears that the situation might turn violent led the Belgian government to agree to relinquish the Congo and grant it independence on 30 June 1960. A provisional constitution, providing for a parliamentary regime with a responsible government and prime minister and an irresponsible head of state, was instituted, and general elections were hastily organised. Lumumba's nationalist party, the Mouvement National Congolais (MNC), won a plurality of the seats in Parliament. After much hesitation, King Baudouin of Belgium appointed Lumumba ""formateur"","
"his own account, achieving international recognition for the Congo Free State in 1885. By the turn of the century, however, the violence of Free State officials against indigenous Congolese and the ruthless system of economic extraction had led to intense diplomatic pressure on Belgium to take official control of the country, which it did in 1908, creating the Belgian Congo. The colony was divided into six provinces: Léopoldville, Équateur, Orientale, Kivu, Kasai, and Katanga. The city of Léopoldville was designated as the capital in 1923. Belgian rule in the Congo was based around the ""colonial trinity"" (""trinité coloniale"") of state,"
"and Vice-Governor-General. Hendrik Cornelis Hendrik A. A. Cornelis (1910–1999) was a Belgian colonial civil servant who served as the last Governor-General of the Belgian Congo from 12 July 1958 until 30 June 1960. He was succeeded by Joseph Kasa-Vubu as first president of the independent Republic of the Congo on 1 July 1960. Cornelis was born in Oudenaarde in Belgium on 18 September 1910. Gaining a doctorate in business studies from the University of Ghent, he left in 1934 as an officer for the Regional Office of the Belgian Congo. In 1951, he was appointed commissioner of the Ten-Year Plan"
"Patrice Lumumba Patrice Émery Lumumba (; alternatively styled Patrice Hemery Lumumba; 2 July 1925 – 17 January 1961) was a Congolese politician and independence leader who served as the first Prime Minister of the independent Democratic Republic of the Congo (then Republic of the Congo) from June until September 1960. He played a significant role in the transformation of the Congo from a colony of Belgium into an independent republic. Ideologically an African nationalist and Pan-Africanist, he led the Mouvement National Congolais (MNC) party from 1958 until his assassination. Shortly after Congolese independence in 1960, a mutiny broke out in"
"History of the Democratic Republic of the Congo The region that is now the Democratic Republic of the Congo was first settled about 80,000 years ago. The Kingdom of Congo remained present in the region between the 14th and the early 19th centuries. Belgian colonization began when King Leopold II founded the Congo Free State, a corporate state run solely by King Leopold. Reports of widespread murder and torture in the rubber plantations led the Belgian government to seize the Congo from Leopold II and establish the Belgian Congo. Under Belgian rule numerous Christian organizations attempted to Westernize the Congolese"
"in historiography on Congolese nationalism, Kasa-Vubu and ABAKO were the primary ""driving force"" behind the independence movement. Joseph Kasa-Vubu Joseph Kasa-Vubu, alternatively Joseph Kasavubu, (""c."" 1915 – 24 March 1969) was the first President of the Republic of the Congo (1960–65), today the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Joseph Kasa-Vubu was born in the village of Kuma-Dizi in the Mayombe district of the Belgian Congo. Different sources list his year of birth as 1910, 1913, 1915, or 1917, though 1915 is the most probable date. He was the eighth of nine children in a family of the Yomba ethnic group,"
"the independence of the Congo, his son, André, who was a civil servant in Bas-Congo, was looking for isolated Europeans in a helicopter. The helicopter came down in Lukala, a small town in Bas-Congo. André and the pilot were taken prisoner and then killed by Congolese soldiers. In 1962, father and son were posthumously ennobled by His Majesty King Baudouin of the Belgians and given the title of ""Graaf"" (count) in the Belgian nobility. Pierre Ryckmans (governor-general) Pierre, 1st Count Ryckmans (23 November 1891 – 18 February 1959), was a Belgian peer and civil servant who served as Governor-General of"
"of ABAKO was elected President by the parliament. Other parties that emerged include the Parti Solidaire Africain (PSA), led by Antoine Gizenga, and the Parti National du Peuple (PNP), led by Albert Delvaux and Laurent Mbariko). The Belgian Congo achieved independence on 30 June 1960 under the name ""Republic of Congo"" or ""Republic of the Congo"" (""République du Congo""). As the French colony of Middle Congo (Moyen Congo) also chose the name ""Republic of Congo"" upon receiving its independence, the two countries were more commonly known as ""Congo-Léopoldville"" and ""Congo-Brazzaville"", after their capital cities. Following a constitutional referendum in 1964"
"who would later become the newly-independent Congo's first president, Simon Mzeza and ABAKO vice-president Daniel Kanza and charged them with inciting the riot. Estimates of the riot's final death toll vary, but estimates of total casualties range from 49 to as high as 500. More than just a significant loss of life, the January riots marked a turning point in the Congolese liberation movement, forcing colonial and Belgian authorities to acknowledge that serious issues existed. The event is believed to have been spontaneous and featured crowds chanting """"indépendance immédiate"""". In the immediate aftermath, Belgian authorities laid blame on unemployed Africans,"
"written tributes to Mobutu, Lumumba is usually portrayed as an adviser to the former. Writer Charles Djungu-Simba observed, ""Lumumba is rather considered as a vestige of the past, albeit an illustrious past"". Patrice Lumumba Patrice Émery Lumumba (; alternatively styled Patrice Hemery Lumumba; 2 July 1925 – 17 January 1961) was a Congolese politician and independence leader who served as the first Prime Minister of the independent Democratic Republic of the Congo (then Republic of the Congo) from June until September 1960. He played a significant role in the transformation of the Congo from a colony of Belgium into an"
"Hendrik Cornelis Hendrik A. A. Cornelis (1910–1999) was a Belgian colonial civil servant who served as the last Governor-General of the Belgian Congo from 12 July 1958 until 30 June 1960. He was succeeded by Joseph Kasa-Vubu as first president of the independent Republic of the Congo on 1 July 1960. Cornelis was born in Oudenaarde in Belgium on 18 September 1910. Gaining a doctorate in business studies from the University of Ghent, he left in 1934 as an officer for the Regional Office of the Belgian Congo. In 1951, he was appointed commissioner of the Ten-Year Plan in 1953"
"at the Kangu mission. They had nine children. In June 1942 Kasa-Vubu earned a job as a clerk in the finance department of the Belgian colonial administration in Léopoldville, the capital of the Congo. He worked there for 15 years, attaining the rank of chief clerk, the highest level of employment available to Congolese civil servants under Belgian rule. In 1956 he was in charge of accounting for all of the administration's general stores. Kasa-Vubu began semi-clandestine political organising work while he was still employed by colonial authorities. Following the resignation of its leader on 21 March 1954, Kasa-Vubu was"
"13, 1959. Where he expressed the desire to ""lead the Congolese populations, without harmful procrastination, but also without thoughtless haste, toward independence, in prosperity, and in peace."" On January 3, 1960, the Belgian government announced it was convening a round table conference with the goal of helping the Congolese transition from colonial rule to independence. A number of traditional chiefs (""chefs coutumiers"") were invited to the Round Table Conference to reduce the proportion of key independence figures in the delegations. The following is a complete list of the Congolese delegates and their Belgian advisers to the first conference: Edouard Bayona,"
"Jean Schramme Jean Schramme (March 25, 1929, Bruges, Belgium – December 14, 1988, Rondonópolis, Brazil) was a Belgian mercenary and planter. He managed a vast estate in the Democratic Republic of the Congo until 1967. When the Belgian Congo gained its independence in 1960, the country quickly descended into civil war. Several hundred white people were held hostage, and Belgium sent troops to Congo to free them and to protect its interests. Patrice Lumumba, the first Prime Minister of the Congo, was murdered. The rich province of Katanga, soon followed by the eastern part of Kasai, were trying to gain"
"Belgium–Democratic Republic of the Congo relations Belgium–Congo relations refers to relations between the Kingdom of Belgium and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The relationship started with the exploration of the Congo river by Henry Morton Stanley. Belgium has an embassy in Kinshasa, a consulate-general in Lubumbashi, and two honorary consulates; in Matadi and Goma. The DRC has an embassy in Brussels and a consulate-general in Antwerp. The current Ambassador of the Kingdom of Belgium in Kinshasa is Bertrand de Crombrugghe de Picquendaele, while the Chargé d'affaires of the DRC in Brussels is Paul Crispin Kakhozi Bin Bulongo. Following Stanley's expedition"
"movement in the Belgian Congo demanded the end of colonial rule: this led to the country's independence on 30 June 1960. Minimal preparations had been made and many issues, such as federalism, tribalism, and ethnic nationalism, remained unresolved. In the first week of July, a mutiny broke out in the army and violence erupted between black and white civilians. Belgium sent troops to protect fleeing whites. Katanga and South Kasai seceded with Belgian support. Amid continuing unrest and violence, the United Nations deployed peacekeepers, but UN Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjöld refused to use these troops to help the central government in"
"that Belgians were ""reluctant imperialists."" He argues that ""ordinary people came to understand and support the colony. Belgians not only sustained the empire in significant ways, but many became convinced imperialists, evidenced by the widespread, enduring and eagerly embraced propaganda in favor of the Congo."" King Leopold II of Belgium had been the principal shareholder in the Belgian trading company which established trading stations on the lower Congo between 1879 and 1884. At the Berlin Conference of 1884–1885 the future Congo was personally assigned to Leopold, who named the territory the Congo Free State. It was originally intended to be"
"of a Belgian parliamentary working group on the future of the Congo was published in which a strong demand for ""internal autonomy"" was noted. August de Schryver, the Minister of the Colonies, launched a high-profile Round Table Conference in Brussels in January 1960, with the leaders of all the major Congolese parties in attendance. Lumumba, who had been arrested following riots in Stanleyville, was released in the run-up to the conference and headed the MNC-L delegation. The Belgian government had hoped for a period of at least 30 years before independence, but Congolese pressure at the conference led to 30"
"who held the Congo Free State as his private property, ordered his Secretary of the Interior to create military and police forces for the state. In 1908, under international pressure, Leopold ceded administration of the colony to the government of Belgium as the Belgian Congo. It remained under the command of a Belgian officer corps through to the independence of the colony in 1960. The ""Force Publique"" saw combat in Cameroun, and successfully invaded and conquered areas of German East Africa, notably present day Rwanda, during World War I. Elements of the ""Force Publique"" were also used to form Belgian"
"The Congo was a former colony of Belgium that won its independence in the same year. Patrice Lumumba became the President of the newly formed democratic government. Soon after he was elected president of the Congo, the military began to attack the European population that was still present in the country. Belgium however did not respond well to this news. Not only did they send military enforcement to reoccupy the country, they also attempted to aid the Congo's richest province Katanga to secede. Lumumba went directly to the United Nations for assistance but he was repeatedly ignored. Since they didn't"
"Joseph Kasa-Vubu Joseph Kasa-Vubu, alternatively Joseph Kasavubu, (""c."" 1915 – 24 March 1969) was the first President of the Republic of the Congo (1960–65), today the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Joseph Kasa-Vubu was born in the village of Kuma-Dizi in the Mayombe district of the Belgian Congo. Different sources list his year of birth as 1910, 1913, 1915, or 1917, though 1915 is the most probable date. He was the eighth of nine children in a family of the Yomba ethnic group, a subset of the Kongo people. His father was a successful farmer who, as an independent entrepreneur,"
"gradual self-government for the Congo by 1985, although this was opposed by the most militant nationalists, who demanded immediate and full independence. On 5 July 1960, five days after the new Republic of the Congo gained independence from Belgium, members of the ""Force Publique"" (Dutch: ""Openbare Weermacht"") garrison near Léopoldville/Leopoldstad mutinied. African soldiers, resentful over the fact that independence had brought little change to their status, ousted 1,000 of their Belgian officers from the command structure. The new government was slow to react, allowing a state of panic to develop among the 120,000 settlers still resident in the territory as"
"in the area. Later that month, United Nations peacekeepers were deployed to the country. During this period of anarchy, the region of South Kasai also declared independence. Faced with the possibility that the Soviet Union would attempt to use the situation to install a sympathetic regime, western powers including Belgium, supported Joseph Mobutu who installed his own, right-wing regime in the Congo. Lumumba was murdered and civil war ensued. Belgian paratroopers were again deployed to the country, this time to rescue civilian hostages captured in Stanleyville during an operation known as ""Dragon Rouge"". At the end Mobutu emerged as the"
"and, by the most conservative count, several hundred died. The eruption of violence sent a shock-wave through the Congo and Belgium alike. On 13 January, King Baudouin addressed the nation by radio and declared that Belgium would work towards the full independence of the Congo """". Without committing to a specific date for independence, the government of prime minister Gaston Eyskens had a multi-year transition period in mind. They thought provincial elections would take place in December 1959, national elections in 1960 or 1961, after which administrative and political responsibilities would be gradually transferred to the Congolese, in a process"
"Belgian Congo in 1920 by Louise Pearce. Dr. Piper also established the area’s first leper treatment center in 1932 and the first tuberculosis treatment center in 1939. Dr. Piper was born in Knapp’s Corner, a small village close to the Pennsylvanian-New York border, as the sixth child, and the second son of Thomas Piper, an oil and gas explorer, and Sarah Elizabeth Maltby. He was one of seven children, with three of his siblings dying at an early age. From the age of twelve, he meticulously read and studied the bible in order to gain acceptance into the Methodist Church"
"was first formulated in 1959 by the Congolese Labour Party (PTC, ). It gathered support from the Bakongo Alliance (ABAKO) and the Belgian Socialist Party (PSB). The idea of a bilateral conference aimed at organizing the independence of the Belgian colony was in turn adopted by the minister of Belgian Congo and Ruanda-Urundi, August de Schryver, who was also the leader of the Christian Social Party, Belgium's largest political party at the time. Several factors contributed to this idea taking shape, including: The creation of a large scale Belgian-Congolese dialogue was also compatible with a speech from Belgian on January"
"plantations and industrial areas. The Congolese people however lacked political power and faced legal discrimination. All colonial policies were decided in Brussels and Léopoldville. The Belgian Colony-secretary and Governor-general, neither elected by the Congolese people, wielded absolute power. Among the Congolese people, resistance against their undemocratic regime grew over time. In 1955, the Congolese upper class (the so-called ""évolués""), many of whom had been educated in Europe, initiated a campaign to end the inequality. In May 1960, the MNC party or Mouvement National Congolais, led by Patrice Lumumba, won the parliamentary elections, and Lumumba was appointed Prime Minister. Joseph Kasa-Vubu"